The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) today announced the establishment of Hong Kong's 25th country park, the 530-hectare Robin's Nest Country Park in Sha Tau Kok.

The country park lies on a continuum of mountain ridges stretching from the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain scenic area to the north and Pat Sin Leng Country Park to the south. Consisting of natural habitats including secondary woodland, shrubland and upland grassland, the park is rich in biodiversity with species of high conservation value such as red azalea, incense tree, Chinese grassbird and Chinese pipistrelle.

The undulating mountain ridges and intertwining natural streams at Robin's Nest provide a variety of habitats for wild animals and plants. It is geographically connected to Shenzhen Wutong Mountain, forming a cross-boundary ecological corridor between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

The AFCD said it is co-operating with the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain Scenic Area Management Authority to formulate a work programme, including the enhancement of the ecological corridor, to create a larger area of continuous habitats and promote ecological integration of the two places.

A mine site in the park, once used for galena mining and one of the largest mining systems in Hong Kong in the 1940s, was a unique cultural attraction.

The department will carry out measures in the country park for conservation, recreation and education purposes, and enforce control under the relevant regulations to conserve the natural environment, scenic landscape and cultural heritage resources, thereby enhancing biodiversity.

Recreational facilities such as a hiking trail network, picnic sites and viewing points are being constructed in the park, with Robin's Nest Country Trail and Lin Ma Hang Country Trail open for use. Their entrances are located respectively at Shan Tsui of Sha Ta Kok and Lin Ma Hang Village.

Information boards, directional signs and distance posts as well as viewing points and interpretation panels, will be installed along the hiking trails to facilitate hiking, nature and cultural heritage appreciation.

Revitalisation of the Lin Ma Hang Lead Mine is underway to turn the site into an open museum for showcasing the mining history and bat ecology. The works are expected to be completed by end of this year.

As Robin's Nest Country Park is remotely located with a rugged landscape and is normally a four-to-five-hour's walk along the two country trails, the department advised hikers to take into account their physical strength, hiking experience and weather in planning a hike there.